ARCH7202 Graduation Project

SESSION TWO 2009

UNITS OF CREDIT, 12UOC

COURSE CONVENORS

Catherine Lassen, rm 4021, catherinel@fbe.unsw.edu.au
Maryam Gusheh, rm 4005, m.gusheh@fbe.unsw.edu.au

STUDIO TUTOR

Russell Lowe, rm 2020, russell.lowe@.unsw.edu.au

aLIFE_gp


The material below should be read in conjunction with the ARCH7202 general course outline.

In ARCH7201 RS students experimented with approaches to Architecture that in various instances resulted in an

"Architecture that bleeds, that exhausts, that whirls and even breaks. Architecture that lights up, that stings, that rips, and under stress, tears. Architecture should be cavernous, firey smooth, hard, angular, brutal, round, delicate, colourful, obscene voluptuous, dreamy, alluring, repelling, wet, dry, throbbing. Alive or dead. Cold then cold as a block of ice. Hot then hot as a blazing wing."

In the Graduation Project students will produce two drafts before the scheme is polished for final submission. At each draft stage the students will prepare a text that establishes the drafts position within a broader critical context and confirms its contribution to the field of Architecture.

The programmatic target of this Research Studio is a Health Care Facility.

The site is at the intersection of South Dowling St. and Flinders St. in Sydney.

ARCHITECTURAL APPROACH AND RESEARCH INTERESTS OF THE INSTRUCTOR FRAMED IN RELATION TO THE SPECIFIC AIMS OF THE STUDIO:

Russell Lowe's research focuses on the repurposing of computer gaming technology. His work brackets architecture from the professional and art ends of its spectrum. Collaboration with John Mitchell has resulted in the practical application of computer gaming technology to clinical and training simulations. His work with Professor Richard Goodwin develops innovative ideas relating to how people engage with the Architecture of the city. He also collaborates with Federico Solmi, a New York based Italian artist, on Art Films that critique a technique called 'Machinima' by painstakingly hand drawing every frame.

TEACHING STRATEGIES:

The teaching of Graduation Project will reinforce the approach employed in the Research Studio. The emphasis will shift however from the formulation and evaluation of abstract experiments to the development of architectural devices or strategies as embodied in an architectural project.

ATTITUDE TO REPRESENTATION:

The workshop will encourage a critical attitude to the study as well as production of architecturally re-presentative strategies. Students will be asked to take conceptual responsibility for techniques used and the ideas implied.

This Graduation Studio will prioritise design, experimentation and innovation. Students should record evidence of both over the duration of the semester and incorporate this as supplementary material in the blog that tracks the content and trajectory of their research. Where the Research Studio conducted a series of experiments that prioritised investigation and experimentation in a wide range of representational directions the Graduation Project will draw out a single strand and develop it through to an incredibly high level of detail, conceptual richness and rigor.

SPECIFIC ARCHITECTURAL SKILLS (LEARNING OUTCOMES) TO BE DEVELOPED WITHIN THE STUDIO:

At the end of this course students will have:
Engaged with the connections between computational methods, real time interactivity, and design and developed opportunities within the three.
Articulate and extended a strand developed in the Research Studio regarding the notions of Pain, Life/Lives, Health, Health Care, Innovation, Consumer Markets, Digital Drawing and Design.
Extended specific skills developed in the Research Studio in digital modeling utilising a conceptually targeted set of important software.
Extended a conceptual strand developed in the Research Studio in the context of a carefully understood and articulated critical context and contribution to the field of architecture.
Developed breathtaking and significant objects, spaces and environments.

GRADUATION STUDIO and RESEARCH PAPER

The Draft Submissions are included here to give you an overall impression of the course and to bring your attention to the concepts, Architectural challenges, techniques and software we will be working with. They also list the outputs required. Each Draft will be introduced in more detail during the first studio session. The Research Texts will form the basis of an academic paper written as a supplement to your GP design work and included with your Final Submission.

FIRST DRAFT SUBMISSION : SKETCH DESIGN IN FIRST PERSON.

TIMETABLE: WEEKS 1 - 2, 20% of final grade.
ARCHITECTURAL CHALLENGE: To respond to the key architectural constraints as understood in EXP2, ARCH7201 RS.
RESEARCH TEXT: Sun, C, De Vries, B, Dijkstra, J, (2007) Measuring Human Behaviour Using a Head-Cave. CAADFutures, pp.501-511.
SOFTWARE: Blogger, Photoshop, Vegas (trial), Premier, Modeling Software as appropriate, Crysis Wars.
TECHNIQUES: Modeling, Computer Game Modding, Video Editing.
OUTPUTS:3 x 1920x1080 digital stills. 1 x 3 - 4 minute long composite video animation, Crysis Wars files required to 'play' test the proposal.
PREMISE: Sun et al (2007) note the importance of point-of-view in shaping human behaviour in urban spaces. They found that some assumptions about human behaviour could be challenged with the results of a study that allowed people to navigate through virtual spaces in the first person point-of-view.

FINAL DRAFT SUBMISSION: ARCHITECTURE THAT BLEEDS (THE PROOF).

TIMETABLE: WEEKS 3 - 7, 40% of final grade.
ARCHITECTURAL CHALLENGE: To develop the substance of an Architectural proposal based on experimentally derived evidence.
RESEARCH TEXT: Three hypothesis drawn from the Coop Himelblau quote above and and the experimental methodology to test them.
SOFTWARE:Blogger, Photoshop, Vegas (trial), Premier, Modeling Software as appropriate, Crysis Wars.
TECHNIQUES: Level Editing, Modeling, Skinning, Animation, Machinima, Montage.
OUTPUTS: 1 x 1920px x 1080px project poster, 1 x Crysis Wars environment, SolidWorks and 3dsMax models (number by negotiation), 1 x 6-7 minute video clip, 1500 word text.
PREMISE: The major contribution that video gaming technology brings to Architecture is the literal ability to test a design proposal.

FINAL SUBMISSION :

TIMETABLE: WEEKS 8 - 14, 40% of final grade.
ARCHITECTURAL CHALLENGE: Defined by each student.
SOFTWARE:Blogger, Photoshop, Vegas (trial), Premier, Modeling Software as appropriate, Crysis Wars. Others as appropriate.
TECHNIQUES: Blogging, Level Editing, Modeling, Skinning, Animation, Machinima, Montage, Video Editing
OUTPUTS: By negotiation. 1500 word academic paper.
PREMISE: Defined by each student.

SCHEDULE:

ASSESSMENT BREAKDOWN

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Evidence of thought and rigor in concept development
Coherence of argument and its representation in your ARCH7202 GP blogs
Imagination and innovation in terms of the use of the representational instruments introduced in studio.
Precision and skill in each of the above areas of assessment

Your grade will be based on the level and extent to which you engage with the above and the PREMISES AND ASSESMENT CRITERIA listed in each DRAFT abstract.

LATE SUBMISSIONS

Late submissions will be penalized at a rate of 10% per day unless the student has made an arrangement with the course coordinator prior to the submission date.

PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism is the presentation of the thoughts or work of another as one’s own.* Examples include:
• direct duplication of the thoughts or work of another, including by copying work, or knowingly permitting it to be copied. This includes copying material, ideas or concepts from a book, article, report or other written document (whether published or unpublished), composition, artwork, design, drawing, circuitry, computer program or software, web site, Internet, other electronic resource, or another person’s assignment without appropriate acknowledgement;
• paraphrasing another person’s work with very minor changes keeping the meaning, form and/or progression of ideas of the original;
• piecing together sections of the work of others into a new whole;
• presenting an assessment item as independent work when it has been produced in whole or part in collusion with other people, for example, another student or a tutor; and,
• claiming credit for a proportion a work contributed to a group assessment item that is greater than that actually contributed.†
Submitting an assessment item that has already been submitted for academic credit elsewhere may also be considered plagiarism.
The inclusion of the thoughts or work of another with attribution appropriate to the academic discipline does not amount to plagiarism.
Students are reminded of their Rights and Responsibilities in respect of plagiarism, as set out in the University Undergraduate and Postgraduate Handbooks, and are encouraged to seek advice from academic staff whenever necessary to ensure they avoid plagiarism in all its forms.
The Learning Centre website is the central University online resource for staff and student information on plagiarism and academic honesty. It can be located at:
www.lc.unsw.edu.au/plagiarism
The Learning Centre also provides substantial educational written materials, workshops, and tutorials to aid students, for example, in:
• correct referencing practices;
• paraphrasing, summarising, essay writing, and time management;
• appropriate use of, and attribution for, a range of materials including text, images, formulae and concepts.
Individual assistance is available on request from The Learning Centre.
Students are also reminded that careful time management is an important part of study and one of the identified causes of plagiarism is poor time management. Students should allow sufficient time for research, drafting, and the proper referencing of sources in preparing all assessment items.
* Based on that proposed to the University of Newcastle by the St James Ethics Centre. Used with kind permission from the University of Newcastle
† Adapted with kind permission from the University of Melbourne.

EQUITY AND DIVERSITY

Students who have a disability that requires some adjustment in their learning and teaching environment are encouraged to discuss their study needs with me prior to, or at the commencement of the course, or with the Equity Officer (Disability) in the Equity and Diversity Unit (9385 4734). Information for students with disabilities is available at:
www.equity.unsw.edu.au/disabil.html